A Safe Place
by Ian-the-Existential-Crisis
Summary: Elliott Witt has been struggling for a long time. Maybe it's because he wants to keep up that charming visage. But on a bad night, when he thinks of following the wrong path, he finds a kid sleeping in the rain with nothing but a newpaper. Maybe it's time to do some healing. (Darksparks and Cryptage are very light) Mirage Centric


**_So I messaged my friend at 3 am with a 600 word doc that I have no recollection of starting and here we are._**

**_I feel like there should be a lot of Trigger Warning. But I don't know what to warn you guys about. So just stay safe and if you ever feel the way Mirage feels in this, know you are wonderful and every one you meet you impact in one way or another._**

**_Also, I had to ask said friend about multiple things, so some stuff I didn't tag (ie panic attacks) because I am not sure if I wrote it right._**

**_Enjoy_**

**_(Looking for some mood music? Try Rocketships by Time Flies and Start a Riot by Banners when reading this.)_**

_A Safe Place_

It was raining. Elliott hated the rain. It often brought back unpleasant memories for him. Most nights like this he would stay huddled inside his apartment, far from the drizzling water, hoping to block out the sound with soft music and the crackles of fire from his stove. He would sit, snug, in his blanket that smelled of fresh flowers that he once smelled while staying at a hospital in Psamathe. His phone, albeit chiming with messages from friends or his employees, would be discarded across the room, left and abandoned like he, himself, felt.

He would not be dressed him warm wools, bracing the outdoors. He would never in such weather, leave him apartment. Or so he thought for so long.

In his defense, because his mind decided to argue with itself and decided he needed to justify his actions, there was no rain scheduled for the evening forecast. He had checked before leaving his home. And when he did leave, the sun still peaked atop the buildings, caressing him with her last rays before falling deep into the horizon. Honestly, it had been such a beautiful and warm summer day that he hadn't even doubted the forecaster's predictions.

He should have doubted the person on the T.V.

Now, because he dared to trust the words of a stranger, scratch that; anyone, he was trapped out in the awful weather with no clear way home. He could laugh at this whole situation.

First, he had been called away from his home by someone he loved very much to hear all about how they moved on and were finally getting married. She asked him to be there at her wedding. And of course, he couldn't decline. He would just have to make up some excuse at a later date. To be perfectly honest though, he knew that Renee had moved on. And as saddening as it was to see her go, he loved her enough to feel happy that she found someone who could love all of her the way he should have. A person who could and would give her the world, the sun, and every star in the sky. But, to finally hear her say that she moved on, she found someone else, it hurt. He wasn't as okay as he made her believe. She, just like everyone else, easily fell hook line and sinker for his charming laugh and fake smiles. This was good though, good for the both of them.

Secondly, as fun as it might have been to hear that Renee had moved on from the- from him, he didn't expect to meet her lover right there. He felt like a total fool, sitting opposite them. Her name, he knew of her of course, was Natalie Paquette. She was brilliant, a genius, everything his mother wanted him to be. And everything he wasn't. Oh yes, Natalie studied under his mother, Evelyn Witt, for a while but he rarely ever spoke to her. So needless to say, he wasn't exactly surprised to see little "Wattson" at Renee's side. Like he said, he was happy for them. If anyone could give Renee everything she ever needed and deserved it would have been Natalie. It was like fate brought them together.

The third laughable thing would naturally be the rain. He hated it. The pitter-patter couldn't erase all the bad memories that came with it. He could hear them in the back of his mind, their voices replaying in his head. Begging for help as he did nothing but stand and stare.

He shook his head, little bead of water flying left and right. If he had to be out in this dreaded weather, the least he could do is find some sort of shelter. Not many of the street-side doors to shops had awnings for him to his himself away from the dreaded storm. The alleyways were just as bad. Nowhere was really safe.

Home. Home was safe. The fuzzy soft blanket that still smelled of… Elliott just wanted to be home. Days like this were why he thought he was possibly the most unlucky guy alive. He stupidly left his house for the hopes, although he knew they would never work out, of Renee and him rekindling something they had lost somewhere along this long and winding road they both walked, and now look at him. Drenched, looking for somewhere safe, headed towards an alleyway even though he knew nothing would come of it. Was this all his destiny held for him? Misery and misfortune?

Elliott stopped misstep at the entrance to the backstreet. "What's the point?" He shuddered aloud. "Why should I not follow my despair down this dark tunnel and finally find my way home to you?"

"You're so overly dramatic." A small grumbled voice rang out amongst the rain. "It's just a back alley."

Now, Elliott will admit that he screamed when the small male kinda just appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, behind him. It was a very manly scream. If anyone said that he screamed like a little lost five year old girl they would definitely be lying. Because that, that did not happen. Nope, uh-uh.

"Must I repeat? You do seem to have a flare for the most unnecessary dramatics." Once again the voice spoke. Elliott thought it to be the voice of a male, but in his experience life wasn't exactly so white and black. Their voice was thick with an accent he didn't recognize. It wasn't until he looked down that he saw the voices owner, huddled in some soggy newspaper much the way he wished to be huddled in his blanket. They shivered as they looked up at him with slanted dark eyes.

"Geez kid." Elliott clutched above his heart. For a second he thought it would leap from his chest and land on this kids lap. And not in the good romantic, love at first sight, nonsense way either.

"I am not a kid. I am a full grown adult."

Yeah, it sure looked like it. Trying to cover himself with paper that was so wet it was falling apart in his hands. But he bit his tongue. "It wet out."

"Thank you for pointing that out."

"I'm Elliott Witt." He reached out his hand.

"And I could be a murderer for a you know." Those eyes narrowed even more.

"Even murderers need a warm place to stay. My apartment isn't far from here."

After several seconds of their eyes awkwardly meeting, the kid took his hand. "You must be an idiot."

An idiot? No, well maybe, but not for the reasons he thought. He had a soft stop for the young and suffering. This kid was one of those people.

"I'm Hyeon Kim." He said, stumbling to his feet even with the aid of Elliott.

"It's nice to meet you Hyeon." He tried his best to pronounce it right. Honestly, it took everything within him to not stutter. It wasn't so bad, but sometimes when he was nervous or had already messed up his words it would just come out on its own.

The rain, albeit wasn't very harsh to begin with, slowed. Nothing more than a tiny puttering of a few droplets. The scream at the back of his mind, ringing in his ear, didn't stop.

There once was a time that his worries would melt away as he entered his front door. Elliott's house should have been an anxiety free zone. When Renee lived here it was. Everything was warm, dazzling, straight out of a romantic movie. Dazzling smiles, bone-crushing hugs. The world was definitely painted with a rose colored tint. Half of Elliott wanted to go back to those stupid days. But the stronger, louder, half knew it was impossible. What is lost can't return. So his warm home was cold and stagnant. There were no loving touches and comforting whispers. Everything he loved about this place was gone. So far from reach, with the only path of following it… would anyone be upset? If he just…

That wasn't true. There was the soft black blanket patterned with the feathers of a raven. The gift that still smelled of flowers. Hopefully it always would. His blanket that he hid under during the toughest storms. His lifeline to those happy days. A constant reminder of what he would never have again.

"Are we going in?" Hyeon asked.

Elliott almost jumped out of his skin. He was so deep in thought that he had forgotten he had a guest. He had forgotten that he was still standing, keys in hand, at his door. The small sound of the jingling of the two keys he owned brought him out of his daze more than the heavily accented voice behind him.

But he played off his deep thought with a laugh. "Psh, I thought I'd make you wait at least a little longer."

The small Asian behind him narrowed his eyes. He didn't look very amused. "You know, my newspaper was a lot nicer than this."

"And yet, you chose to follow me." He grinned widely. It only took a few seconds to jiggle the key into the lock and swing the door open.

So what if his place was a tiny bit gloomy. There wasn't much there anymore. He didn't have a need for to many things.

"Not much for entertaining, are you?" He asked, glancing in the room.

"No need. I have all my friends visit me at the bars, or much more lively places. This is just a place to kick back and sleep." He lied. This was his safe place. He probably shouldn't have let some stray kid in this place. But, he did have a soft spot, and he couldn't let this drenched person continue on in the rain.

Elliott didn't move out of the way at first. He stayed, blocking the doorway, not letting him in. This felt wrong. It almost felt like he was getting ready to move on. This was the first time since then that he let somebody in his safe place, his home, the space they had shared. It was like he was giving some stranger a free peek at who he was, the bare bones of his existence, and the life he had once had. Deep inside he knew he wasn't ready for such a big step. He didn't want anyone to see how much he misses them. How he felt so left behind and betrayed. He never wanted anyone to see that he was more than a charming smile and some half-cocked jokes.

But he heard the kid behind him shift. This kid, who, seemingly, had no place to go. Whom he found out in the dreaded rain. He waited patiently for Elliott to move aside. Unlike him, they probably had no real safe place. They didn't have a warm blanket to cower under and hide away from all the bad thoughts that this life filled them with. They had a soggy piece of paper to cover them and a cool wet ground as their bed. Maybe he was too soft, letting some stray see everything that he was. But he had already lived a life where he didn't want to have to choose a losing side, one where he just didn't choose, he didn't want to do that again.

So he shrugged off his wool coat and moved aside.

"It's not much. But come in."

Hyeon looked around at the bare walls. His feet barely in the doorway before he could stop himself from saying. "Not much for pictures are you?"

"Not really?" Elliott said it with a shrug. All the pictures where crammed into a box he shoved on the top shelf of his closet. Out of sight, out of mind. He had his fill of daily reminders, to see the smiling faces that wouldn't smile that way at him again, it would be agony. As much as he loved the- Renee, he couldn't stand being surrounded by their past. She was gone, moving on, finally happy. It was for the best. And she would never know how he felt. He would never let her know.

'Keep smiling Witt. It's what you're good at.'

He kept that silent motto close to his heart. He was good at smiling. At joking around. Really he was just a trickster, showing people what they wanted and nothing real. Perhaps he was just a mirage.

"The bathroom's to the right. First door. I can leave you something to wear while you're showering." He said. This totally wasn't awkward. He was nailing it.

"Do you always bring random people into your home and let them do as they please?" Hyeon asked.

He slipped his hole-riddled shoes off at the doorway, Elliott noticed, and almost tripped up the half step separating the carpeted floor from the tiny piece of tiled, where people with good manners would normally keep their shoes. It's made Elliott smile. That tradition had long since vanished from his home. Renee was the only one who could be bothered to follow it. It made him think of the muddy trails that would often be left on the carpet, leading to the bedroom. Too tired to kick off their boots, they just passed out on the bed with them on. Renee would always give a sigh, but smile so endearingly, ad she yanked the footwear off and headed back to the door. She would come back moments later with that black blanket already stretched out and ready to cover. Elliott wondered if there were nights when Natalie fell asleep at her work station and Renee would cover her with some cutesy blanket the two of them shared. She probably did, all the time. Those two were going to be a match made in heaven.

"Well, I didn't exactly give you free rights to sifting through my porn." He cracked a smile at the joke, hoping this kid would follow suit. He didn't. "So, uh, please stay out of that."

"You're one restriction is to stay out of your porn? I'm not interested in that."

"Here, give me your coat." He held out his hands for the thin material that the boy shrugged off. "And we shouldn't have any problems then."

"Okay." He nodded. Hyeon looked both ways before heading towards the bathroom.

Of course, Elliott would pick up the most awkward kid. He was so formal and polite. Elliott wasn't used to it. Well, being honest, he wasn't used to there being another person in his home. Yes, he often dreamed that he would wake up and everything that happened would be a nightmare and he'd wake up in a loving warm embrace, but that wouldn't happen. Be was there when fate took his happiness. He tried to wake himself up, but this was the reality of the situation.

Had it really been four years? It seemed like such a short time. Everything was still fresh in his mind. But it made sense. It took Renee a year to leave him. She moved out and he made her take everything. The only thing he kept was the pictures locked away on his closet and the one he kept under his left pillow. And the blanket. They both knew that it was meant for him. It took her a whole year before she realized what they were doing, clinging to the past wasn't healthy. And she finally let them go.

Elliott wasn't ready yet.

"What do you do for a living?" The kid asked.

Now that he had showered, had some food (okay so they were eating now but what did that matter), and gotten a little sleep, he actually looked human again. And Elliott realized how young he looked.

"I own a bar." Elliott chewed his egg. "Are you from Gaea?"

Those slanted eyes shifted. "How could you tell?"

"My ex-wife was from Typhon, we often visited Gaea on our way to her family home. It was a lovely place to travel. If I had to guess where you were from though... My guess would have to be Korea

"South Korea, actually."

"Then what are you doing all the way here in Solace City. It's a far travel between planets."

He didn't answer. "When do you want me out?"

"Stay as long as you like."

"You can't be serious."

"And if I am?" Elliott countered.

"Then you must be an idiot." Hyeon shook his head. There was clear disappointment in his voice.

It wasn't something that he hadn't heard before. Renee called him an idiot all the time. Sometimes she would burst into fits of laughter when she said it. Sometimes she would be blinded by pure rage. It made him think of the time that he decided to cover the house in rose petals. It was a special occasion. A wedding anniversary. How could he not do something so stupidly romantic? They weren't exactly happy upon coming in the front door. There Elliott stood, pants around his ankles, flowers all over the floor and ceiling. It was a very hard moment to explain. So as he was trying to hang some mood lighting, he slipped, tossing his basket of roses into the air. Now he was a bit of a tech nerd, but at the time, double sided duct tape to hang up temporary lights seemed like a good idea. Not so much after he dropped the lights and tapped flowers to the ceiling. As for his pants… He will forever claim that he thought it was no pants Thursday. The real reason is lost to history, and never needs to be thought of again.

"I've been called that many times." Elliott let loose a very small, very real smile.

"You had a wife?" The kid jumped back to the past conversation. So much for letting the twenty questions game they were playing go.

"I did. What did you come to Solace for?"

"I'm not sure." He placed his fork on the table next to his empty plate. This kid was a fast eater. "I think I just wanted to get away. Go to a new place where I could start again. What happened with your wife?"

Elliott felt his heart clench. "Life happens. When something bad happens, and you can't stop it, the person you thought you knew just kinda drifts away from you. And rarely, like now, it's really for the best."

He didn't look satisfied at all by the answer. "What kind of event would have someone you love drift away from you?"

"A death."

Elliott didn't mean to answer it so frankly. He barely knew this person in front of him. It didn't matter that he had been repressing these feelings and refusing to really talk to anyone for the past five years. This kid was not the one to talk to.

"Yeah. That would do it." The kid said, knowingly, after a few moments of silence. So, he too understood. What a sad world it was when even someone as young as the person that sat in front of Elliott knew how painful a death could be to those who remained. "But we heal and keep going."

Elliott blinked. Heal and keep going? Was that what he was doing right now? In a way, it felt like that. Here he was, someone new in his life. Letting them in. Sharing more than he meant to. Was that healing? Why was it so hard to do with Renee? If only he had the answers to those questions maybe they wouldn't have drifted apart like they had. But on the other hand, he still felt closed off. This person would leave him soon. They weren't permanent. Just a stray that was lost and in need of a warm place to sleep. Once Hyeon was on his feet again he would probably vanish as quickly as he had come. That's just how life was for Elliott. He knew better than to think that this…. This random person actually cared.

Still, it was nice to talk to someone who didn't look at him with pity or anger. There was no expectations in Hyeon's eyes. Just appreciation for the roof over his head and what looked like a faint spark of understanding. The look of someone who shared in his grief for completely different reasons. And a soft, unspoken, understanding that they didn't have to talk about it, but they were there.

Shit, it was really nice. "We gotta keep going."

There was a soft drizzle. Thought it had been the softest sound, and probably calming to most, it had woken Elliott out of a dead sleep. His mind was streaming at him. Their voices ringing so loud it felt like his head was sitting open. How he hated the small background noise.

His heart hammered painful against his chest as he sat up in his bed. Nope, no! Don't think, thinking was bad. He could feel his pulse crawling up his throat, choking him. He just wanted to hide away from all the noise and the voices. He wanted to squeeze his eyes shut and feel safe and free.

The blanket was out in the living room. Why was he such an idiot? Leaving it out of reach when he hadn't thought to check the forecast, not that he could trust that stupid shit.

His vision blurred as he forced himself off the bed onto shaky legs. Moving was a hassle. His head throbbed from all of the screaming of his memories and the steady, but fast beat of his own heart echoing in his ears. At any given second he thought he would fall to the carpet and stay there. But he knew that if he fell he would just curl up and continue to suffer. It was only twenty-four steps to the living room. He had counted it many times.

Twenty-two...

Twenty-one…

Twenty…

Happy thoughts. It always helped him before when he felt like this. Those strong arms around him, holding him together. But they weren't there. It was almost as if the ghost of that person was vanishing. Elliott still wasn't ready for them to leave. He still needed those arms, that smile, those cool words in his ear.

'I've got you ástin mín.'

Those words ghosted his ears. He wanted them to be real again. It hurt. The reality of the world hurt so much. He wanted to follow those words down that dark tunnel so he could feel those arms around him again.

Five…

Four…

Three…

His hand reached for it. For his safe place. In less than a second the blanket was trapped over him, head to toe was covered as he curled himself up on the floor next to his couch. Everything dulled as the overpowering smell of those flowers set in. That may have been a place he never wanted to go back to, but those flowers always reminded him of the best day of his life.

"Oh, Bloth."

The lights flickered on, startling him. How had he forgotten his stray was here. Sure it had been almost two weeks since he brought the kid home, but had the sound of rain been so powerful he forgot about Hyeon?

"Who's Bloth?" Hyeon, once again, didn't look very happy. He actually rarely looked happy. He claimed it was just his resting face, but Elliott high doubted that. He had seen the kid smile faintly once or twice when he thought Elliott's eyes were elsewhere.

"It doesn't matter." Elliott didn't move. He didn't think anyone would ever see him like this. The ultimate low. There was nothing to joke about, no charming smiles, this was who he truly was, and Elliott hated himself for it.

"Are they the reason your wife left?"

"What?" Elliott snapped at the kid as Hyeon rounded the couch to sit. "Renee was very understanding and didn't even blame me."

"Blaming you would imply it's your fault."

Elliott's gaze dropped to the floor. He hadn't meant to make it sound like that. Renee had always told him that there was nothing he could have done. The bad, screaming part of his mind told him she was lying. There was so much he could have done. He could have pushed them out of the way. Bloth was the ties that bound him and Renee together. They were always the one who knew what to do.

"I could have died instead."

When that statement left his mouth he felt like he hit a brick wall. It was the first time he said it out loud. The first time he admitted it should have been him. If Bloth was still here, there was no doubt in Elliott's mind that they would have been able to be the person Renee needed. They wouldn't be huddled under a blanket, riding out a light storm, at three in the morning. They would have pulled themselves back together and moved on.

"Well that's pretty fucking stupid."

Once again, this kid has Elliott stunned. He just said whatever came to his mind first. And his flat tone made it hard for him to tell if Hyeon was upset or not.

"Where would I be right now if you had died?" The Asian questioned.

It was a powerful inquiry. Elliott hadn't thought about it. The way his life impacted others. All the people he hired for the bar. A few of his drunken regulars that he drove home, because he feared what they would do if left to their own devices. And most of all, the person sitting next to him.

"Hyeon…"

"It's Tae Joon. My name. I didn't mean to lie to you." He interrupted, but honestly Elliott didn't know what he was going to say anyway.

It was still drizzling lightly outside his window. But this time, the lights were on. Tae Joon has talked him into at least sitting on the couch. The blanket was no longer pulled over his head, shielding him from the rest of the world. And though the voices still screamed out with every drop of rain, there was a louder, calmer, one telling him it was alright.

He was allowed to finally heal and move on.

Renee Blasey was one of his favorite people. She always would be. She was understanding of how Elliott always was. He could be a little weird sometimes, and that was putting it nicely. But much like Elliott, she loved Bloodhound the most. In a poly relationship everyone is supposed to be equal. That's the dream. But with them Bloth was the one who stopped their petty quarrels. They were the one who laughed off the whole third year wedding anniversary mishap, which really just went to show that Elliott should never be left in charge of planning. They were the one who introduced them at the hospital in Psamathe. They were always there. And although Elliott loved Renee, he really was truly in love with Bloodhound. He knew Renee was too. And the fact that she stayed and tried for a whole year after Bloth died, to pick up the pieces and continue on said that she was the most wonderful friend Elliott could have ever asked for. She deserved all the stars in the sky, but she would also never ask for them.

So Elliott was truly happy to hear she was married again. To hear that her and Natalie were doing amazing and were completely head-over-heels in love.

It had been a chance meeting. About three months after he skipped out on their wedding without reason. He saw them walking in the mall and had full intentions to avoid them. But it was like Renee had a voice in the back of her mind, if she was anything like Elliott is was still thick with a Norse accent, and she noticed him as he turned away.

"Elliott, is that you?"

He shamefully turned back to them. How was it that she could spot him in such a crowded place? It was the entrance to the food court of all places. People were piling in to get something to eat and she saw him. How unlucky.

"Oh. Renee it's been a while. How long has it been? Oh never mind that, how are you?" He plastered a smile on his face. This was the last place he wanted to be right now.

"It's been almost a year Elliott." Why was it that everyone sounded so passive aggressively upset when they said his name? From the way she folded her arms over the blue and white jacket -aw, was she wearing Natalie's jacket so she didn't seem so gloomy- Elliott could tell she was upset about the whole wedding thing. "It wouldn't have been as long if you would have shown up to my wedding."

And there it was. Renee was never one to hold back. At least with her, he didn't have to guess. She spelled everything out for him.

"Well, you see." He tried stammering some words together.

"You don't have an excuse."

"That's pap- popas- That's not true." He frantically said.

"Seriously." Her arms dropped to her sides as she closed the distance between them. "I was really worried about you after the last time we spoke. Then you didn't even call, nor did you show up for the big day. I thought something happened to you."

"I'm fine. I'm always fine."

The downwards curve of her lips was the first sign of her disbelief. "I went down to the Paradise Lounge. When you're employees said you weren't there I feared the worst. I thought maybe you decided…"

He didn't want her to finish that thought just as much as he knew she didn't want to think about it. It was sad to say that there was a time, a really long time that he thought of joining Bloth.

"I just felt like doing some traveling. Tidying up something things. Going to see new places." He didn't want to tell her how right she was to fear that, but he also didn't want to lie to her.

"Traveling?"

"Well, a lot of traveling. Went to Gaea first. I forgot how much I missed it there."

"Where Bloth was from?"

"Not quite. We went further east than where they were from. Never got the chance to go back there. But it's a big world with plenty to explore."

"We?" She shifted. It was as if that was the only thing she picked up from him talking.

"Yes, I made a fr-"

"Elliott."

There was that tone again. It was like everyone disapproved of him just existing with in the small space he resided. No matter what he did, he couldn't get it right. But seeing Tae Joon's already narrowed eyes fall on them, his fist bunching the end of his white pillowy jacket.

"Renee this is-"

"Tae Joon Park." He said quickly, trying to casually walk over to Elliott. It was fun to see his try and play it cool. "I was just coming to find you. I finished what I needed to do."

"A friend?" Renee asked, quirking a perfectly sculpted eyebrow up.

"Yes." Elliott answered.

"A boyfriend." The Asian corrected.

Renee gave a small laugh. "Oh good luck with that one. I have to go find my wife, I see you both around. It was lovely meeting you-"

"Likewise." He said.

Elliott gave him a found smile. It was silly to think is boyfriend didn't want to be around Renee. To think that Elliott might run back to her. No, they were nothing more than friends now.

Elliott could finally admit, Renee could see it as she turned away, he had healed and started to move on. It might have taken him a little bit longer. He might still not be to the point where he could say he was okay. And he would never forget Bloodhound or what they had. But he was finally ready to try with someone new. To start fresh. He had already taken that first step.

Now his safe place wasn't some blanket laying on the couch.


End file.
